Device for automatically shaping, delivering, and stacking battery-plates.



N0. 638,73I. Patented Dec. I2, I899.

' R. MACRAE.

DEVICE FOBAUTUMATIGALLY SHAPING, DELIVERING, AND STACKING BATTERYPLATES.

(Application filed Kay 4, 1899.)

(No Model.) V 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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By l/aza/sa WITNESSES No. s3a,73|. Patented Dec. I2, I899.

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DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY SHAPING, DELIVERING, AND STACKING BATTERYPLATES.

(Application filed Hay 4, 1699.) (No llfldfilz). 3 Shaet s-Sheet 2.

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No. 638,73I. Patented Dec. |2, |a99. n. MACRAE.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY SHAPING, DELIVERING, AND STAGKING BATTERYPLATES.

(Application filed Kay 4, 1999.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-sheaf 3.

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' ATTORNEY THE mars mews co. Pmzmuruo wnsrlwcmu a c J I w linrrnnSra'rns PATENT @FFEQE.

RODERICK MACRAE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMG. L. EGLIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY SHAPING, DELIVERING, AND STACKINGBATTERY-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,731, dated December12, 1899. Application filed May 4, 1899. l'fi'erial No. 715,629. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RODERICK MAcRAn, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forAutomatically Shaping, Delivering, and Stacking Battery- Plates, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to mechanism for automatically feeding lead ribbonand shaping, delivering, and stacking small metallic battery-plates madetherefrom for the more convenient, economical, and uniform constructionof battery-electrodes form ed from a stack or pile of such plates; andmy invention consists of the novel mechanical features in a concretemachine, as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partlybroken away; Fig.2, a plan View; Fig. 3, a section on theline 1 2 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4:, aperspective of the stacking device; Fig.

5, a vertical sectional view of the stackingspout; Fig. 6, thespring-plug, which is part of same; and Fig. 7 a perspective of a stackof the shaped, stacked, and delivered batteryplates.

The material fed to the take-in rolls of the machine is in the form oflead ribbon, which may be a fiat strip, as usual, and turned over orflanged at its edges by the guiding-channel of the machine, or it may bepreviously so flanged or rolled with thickened parallel edges. Theresultant product of the machine, which automatically feeds and guidesthe lead ribbon and shapes, delivers, and stacks the plates'madetherefrom, is represented in Fig. 7

40 of the drawings, from which resultant product the finished electrodedescribed in either of my pending applications, Serial Nos. 712,270 and714,280,1n ay be made as therein described.

In order to enable others to understand my invention, 1 will describe itby reference to the drawings.

On a suitable stand or frame (indicated at A) is mounted a housing 13,in which is journaled a driving-shaft O, carrying a cam-wheel D, thelatter being arranged to depress the plunger E, which is reciprocatedvertically in a suitable recess B in the frame B. It is provided with aretracting-springE' to cause its return to a normal position after eachdown ward stroke, and it is provided on its lower end with a cutting orshaping block E which corresponds in rectangular shape to the lead plateto be cut from the ribbon and corresponds also with the rectangulardeliverythroat E (see Fig. 8) of the machine, said'6o throat beingslightly elevated on its inner side to form a cutting-surface inconnection with the descending cutting-block E on the end of the plungerE.

On the bed-plate P of the machine and at right angles with thedelivery-throat E is mounted a guiding-channel F, formed by edge platesf f, screwed to the base-plate and so arranged relatively thereto as toprovide a channel, (indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 2,) and at therear of this guiding-channel and suitably disposed relatively thereto isa pair of take-in rolls H H. These are actuated by a step-bystep motionimparted to them by means of an arm H, mounted on the journalshaft ofone of them. The arm H is provided with a spring-pressed pawl H whichpawl engages a ratchet-wheel n, rigidly connected withthe shaft uponwhich the arm H is mounted,and it will thus be seen that by reason ofthe8o pawl connection described the take-in rolls are rotated a limiteddegree at each depression of said arm H. To provide, however, for thereturn of the arm H toits normal position, a retractile spring m has oneof its ends connected to said arm H, While its other end is attached toa rigid arm H carried by the machine-frame adjacent to the take-inrolls, and said arm H is adapted to abut against the arm H whenreturning to its normal posit-ion, and thereby be limited in suchmovement. Adjusting devices for the upper roll are supplied by thethumb-screws M.

On the main driving-shaft O is mounted an arm K, which contacts with anddepresses the arm H at each rotation of said shaft 0, thereby actuatingthe take-in rolls, and such contact of the arms K and H is so timed thatthe take-in rolls feed forward the lead ribbon after the plunger E hasmoved upwardly and the cutting-block E has cleared the mouth of thedelivery-throat E The receiving and stacking device is shown in Figs. 4,5, and 6, Sheet 3. It consists of a suitable frame T with an inset-ledgeti on either side, said frame being secured to the under side of thebed-plate of the machine and forming thereby a grooved and slottedframe, in which a series of receiving and stacking spouts S may be slidthereon and brought one by one into register with the discharge end ofthe delivery-throat E of the machine. These spouts S conform interiorlyto the shape of the battery-plate shaped and cut from the lead ribbon bythe shaping and cutting devices of the machine. The arrangement thereofin the sliding frame is shown in perspective in Fig. 4, which clearlyindicates their character and mode of operation to bring them intoregister with the deliverythroat E as aforesaid. In Fig. 5, which is avertical section of one of said stacking-spouts, s is aspring-controlledfriction-plug, which in normal position is at the top of the spout. Itis shown separately in Fig. 6; but obviously other kinds offriction-plugs may be employed. As the plug descends in the spout by theweight of the lead plates delivered thereto such weight may overcome thefriction, and to guard against that I counterbalance it by making agroove sin the spout, in which a cord maylie, its one end fastened tothe springplug and its other end passing through a hole 3 in the spoutand attached on the outside to a Weight 5 It is obvious that the machinemay be provided with a power wheel and belt and be operated thereby.

The operation of the device is as follows: The lead ribbon (indicated atR, Figs. 2 and 3) is fed to the take-in rolls H H, the step-bystepmotion of which delivers it into the channel F, and thence to and overthe mouth of the delivery-throat E beneath the cuttingblock E on the endof the plunger E, the length of lead ribbon delivered being equal to thewidth of the plate to be cut therefrom. The plunger E is caused todescend by the action of the cam D on the same shaft 0, Whose rotationactuates indirectly, as described, the step-by-step motion of the takeinrolls. The lead plate thus cut is forced by the plunger cutting-blockinto the deliverythroat E and thence to the receiving and stacking spoutS, and as each of the spouts is filled they are slid along in theslide-frame T and the next one filled, so that the plates as dischargedfrom the spouts consist of a stack of cut, shaped, anduniformly-piledplates, as shown in Fig. 7, which represents the ultimate product of themachine.

sesfzei Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for automatically feeding in and guiding lead ribbon,shaping and cutting aseries of uniform plates therefrom, and dischargingthe same to suitable receiving devices, by; one continuous operation,the combination with the main driving-shaft and frame of the machine, ofa pair of take-in rolls, mechanism to actuate said rolls by astep-by-step motion consisting of a ratchetwheel and a spring-controlledactuating-arm,

both mounted on the shaft of one of said take-in rolls, aguiding-channel for the lead ribbon, a spring-retracted plunger,actuating devices between the plunger-shaft and the spring-controlledarm of the take-in rolls operating to intermittently depress said springcontrolled arm in unison of time with the reciprocation of the plunger,and a throat-piece having an elevated inner edge formed with atransverse slot in line with said guiding-channel and arranged andoperating relatively to the cutting-face of the reciprocating plunger tocut, receive and discharge said plates; substantially as described.

2. In a machine for automatically feeding and guiding lead ribbon, andcutting, delivering and stacking a series of plates made therefrom, thecombination with mechanisms operating to take in and feed forward theribbon and guide the same to the cutting devices, of means operating inunison of time therewith to cut the ribbon and form it into plates andsimultaneously therewith to stack and discharge a uniform pile of suchplates, and with mechanism operating to take in, re ceive and hold suchplates to form piles stacked against counteracting frictionalresistance; substantially as described.

8. In combination with mechanisms constituting a machine forautomatically feeding lead ribbon and shaping or cutting a series ofuniform plates therefrom and delivering the same in a stack, by acontinuous opera tion, means for receiving such piles or stacks underfrictional resistance, consisting of a slide-frame, and one or morestacking-spouts mounted thereon and adapted to slide in the same and bebrought thereby into register with the delivery devices of the machine,said stacking-spout having a plug moving therein under frictionalresistance; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 22d dayof April, A. D. 1899.

RODERICK MACRAE.

IVitnesses:

WALTER O. PUSEY, H. T. FENTON.

